Written by Nicola Lai, Thesia Salim, and Jasmine Hui
Whether you are an Asian student craving for food from home or a huge fan of Asian food in general, here are some East-Asian restaurants in Exeter worth trying out. Spice up your student life in Exeter with some oriental bites in the local area, you might end up going to the restaurants more than once!
Beijing Beijing- Jasmine
Address: 50 Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3SR, UK 
Type of cuisine: Chinese hot pot/ Chinese food
Price: £22 all you can eat, drinks excluded
Beijing Beijing is a new restaurant that opened in Exeter a few months ago. It has already gained popularity among students, especially Chinese students, because of the good quality food they provide and the fact they serve hot pot! Calling all hot pot lovers or people curious about what “hot pot” is, go give Beijing Beijing a go, I guarantee you will love this place.
They provide everything you need to create a perfect hot pot meal; the decent selection of soup base, the variety of ingredients (meat, fish ball, noodles, vegetables, tofu and more), the sauce and the extremely cool-looking pot. You can choose two soup bases for each pot so your friends won’t have to argue over the spicy soup base or the non-spicy one; why not both?!
If you are wondering how the pots keep the water boiling throughout the whole process, there are pieces of hot coal in the base of the pot and it keeps the water boiling for how long you need it to. I personally appreciate its outlook, but it is not the most practical pot for hot pot because the food it can accumulate is rather limited.
Nonetheless, my experience in Beijing Beijing was incredible. The staff members were friendly and helpful; they came to refill our pots with hot soup frequently, and they were mindful of what their customers needed. Do not worry if you are an English speaker, even though the staff members are native in Chinese, they are also fluent in English and the menu is written in both Chinese and English.
Somboon Thai Shop – Thesia
Address: 153 Sidwell Street, Exeter EX4 6RT, UK
Type of cuisine: Thai noodles (plus Thai grocery store)
Price: £8.95 for Thai noodles; £2.50 for Thai iced tea
The first time I heard about Somboon ThaiShop was about how amazing it is that it gets sold out by the evening. From then on, I was adamant about trying these famous noodles that everyone seemed to love. Somboon Thai Shop is a Thai grocery store that also sells Thai street noodles. And after many times of lunches at Somboon, I can safely say that this is my favourite Asian restaurant in Exeter! I think it is the most authentic and delicious.
Personally, I think the price, at £9, is reasonable for the size of the dish. You have the option of beef, chicken, or pork for your meat with glass noodles, ramen noodles and more. I always order beef or chicken with glass noodles and add in a lot of chilies. For drinks, I highly recommend their Thai iced tea. It’s basically strongly-brewed tea that is sweetened with condensed milk and served over ice.
The service is what you would expect in every good restaurant. I typically wait five to ten minutes and maybe 15 minutes on a busy day. Overall, the restaurant has amazing service and food, there is nothing more you could ask for!
Jasmine Thai – Thesia
Address: 153 Fore St, Exeter EX4 3AT
Type of Cuisine: Thai and Fusion
Price: ££ – £££
If you’re up for a slightly fancier lunch/dinner with amazing food, Jasmine Thai is the place to go. They serve authentic Thai meals with some Eastern and Western influences. The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm on weekdays, and from 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10pm on weekends.
There is also a wide range of dishes you can choose from, such as Thai curries, Thai stir-fry dishes, noodles, or soups. And a big bonus is that it also serves Vegetarian/Vegan dishes, so everyone is catered. My favourite dish would be the Pad Thai and the Pla Samunprai, which is a crispy deep-fried seabass. The service is great as well as everyone is friendly and the waiting time for the table and food is not long at all.
Jasmine Thai is an amazing restaurant whenever you need good authentic Thai food. The restaurant itself has a pleasant décor with a spacious layout. You can eat at Jasmine Thai casually or even dress up for a fancy dinner on a Friday night! It’s definitely worth the try and I can assure you that you won’t regret it.
iFood Thai Taste- Nicola
Address: 114 Sidwell St, Exeter EX4 6RY, UK
Type of Cuisine: Thai
Price: £
(Photo: Vegetarian Fried Noodles and Chicken Green Curry)
For something more affordable, iFood Thai Taste is a great place for Thai food. They offer fried noodles, fried rice, curries, and spring rolls. Food usually arrives within minutes of ordering, making it the perfect spot for a quick meal. The staff at iFood Thai Taste are also incredibly nice and friendly, making the experience even more enjoyable. Of course, there are veggie and meat options, so it caters to all diets.
Shimizu Sushi- Nicola
10 Well St, Exeter EX4 6QR, UK
Type of Cuisine: Japanese
Price: ££
Shimizu Sushi is a newly opened Japanese restaurant that offers a range of different types of Japanese dishes such as Sushi, Ramen, Tempura, Donburi (Rice Bowls), Bento Boxes, and Dessert. Considering how it only opened in May of 2018, Shimizu offers an impressive variety of dishes. There are some vegetarian and vegan options such as the Agedashi Tofu, Vegetable Tempura, Inari Sushi, Vegetarian Sushi Roll, and more. Shimizu even delivers to you if you give them a ring at +44 1392 346100.
Disclaimer: These are only views of current students and they do not represent the view of the university in any way.